The Blue Lady of the Dark Peak

Summer brings so much new colour to the Dark Peak. The heather on the moors, green or brown for the rest of the year, is washed a warm purple. Trees are full and verdant. And the Derwent Valley reservoirs are a rich blue. The most famous is Ladybower, created between 1935 - 45 , flooding two villages in the process. The remains of Derwent and Ashopton are periodically exposed when the water level drops. In the view above you can see the Ashopton viaduct carrying the A57 between Sheffield and Manchester via the famous Snake Pass. The reservoir stretches up the valley with two others above it, Derwent and Howden reservoirs. A waterside road is an excellent quite flat route for pedestrians and cyclists right around all three bodies of water, and many hikes can be done over the hills and moors surrounding.

This picture is taken from Bamford Edge, but another excellent viewpoint is Derwent Edge which is the high point covered in purple heather to the centre right of the picture. Well worth spending some time in this area which is very accessible from Catherine Cottage.